Information distribution systems, such as cable and satellite television systems, including transmission stations and reception stations have become so prevalent that most consumers take them for granted. The wide bandwidth available in some digital information distribution systems allows content providers to provide viewers with vast amounts of programming content. For example, while past conventional analog cable television systems provided viewers with tens of channels, modern satellite television systems, such as, for example, the DIRECTV® system provides viewers with literally hundreds of choices of programming content.
However, one drawback of satellite television systems is the need for a separate satellite receiver “box” for each television set. Almost all modern televisions are equipped to tune a plurality of analog channels received from an analog cable or terrestrial broadcast system. However, most televisions are not equipped to decode any channels received from a digital satellite system. In order to adapt a television to receive and decode channels from a digital satellite system, a satellite receiver is connected to the television.
The need for a separate satellite receiver for each television in a household greatly increases the cost of a satellite television system. The satellite receiver typically includes a satellite connection, a tuner, a decoder, a conditional access smartcard, as well as many other components. Some satellite receivers also include a hard disk (or other mass storage device) to record content for subsequent viewing. As a result, the per television cost of a satellite system typically exceeds the per television cost of an analog cable system.
If the consumer is asked to bear theses costs, the consumer may avoid adding additional televisions to his/her satellite system, or the consumer may choose not to install a satellite system altogether. On the other hand, if the satellite system provider bears these costs, the provider may need to charge more money and/or make less profit.